The game of golf is a precision sport. Often, minor mistakes in a golf swing can result in a catastrophic result that significantly deviates from the intended result. For example, a small and minor 5 degree deviation from the intended target in a swing path could easily result in a golf shot that is often offline by 26 yards or more on a standard 300 yard drive. Hence, as it can be seen from the example above, precision is of the utmost importance in the game of golf.
In a game that requires such a high degree of precision, the equipment used to help a golfer execute that golf shot needs to be held at an even higher standard, allowing the golfer to execute his or her shot without having to worry about deviations in the equipment. In addition to creating equipment with exacting specifications, that same amount of specificity and precision is required when golfers want to modify their golf clubs to fit the specific needs of their swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,550 to Shenoha illustrates one of the earlier attempts to provide measurements of golf club loft and lie in order to determine the loft and lie of the golf club itself. Although U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,550 to Shenoha does not provide a basis for adjusting the loft and lie of the golf club head, it provides an early method of accurately determining the loft and lie, allowing an operator to make changes to the loft and lie of a golf club head and re-verifying the changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,409 to Muldoon illustrates another invention, wherein the loft and lie of the golf club head can be measured and adjusted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,409 to Mouldoon utilizes a clamping mechanism adapted to clamp the face of the golf club head at a predetermined angle with respect to the base, but requires the operator to set up the golf club correctly in the apparatus, which can lead to error and inconsistency.
The inconsistencies in the measurement that require operator input has led to modern day inventions that try to eliminate that potential for error using cameras. U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,414 to Burney et al. focuses on using two cameras being spaced apart from the clamping assembly to provide a stereoscopic view of the shaft of the golf club. This method greatly improves upon the original method in terms of efficiency of measurement, but still requires an operator to install a club correctly into the clamping assembly to yield accurate results.
Despite all the advancement in the technology, the industry still relies on an operator to set up the golf club in the clamping apparatus correctly. In addition to the above, all the existing technology has no way of ensuring that the golf club did not move during the adjustment process. Hence it can be seen that there is a need in the industry for a precise method to measure and adjust the loft and lie of a golf club.